Melania Brescia Photography @ Interesting Photographers

Feb

28

2014

Melania Brescia Photography

What kind of equipment (camera body, lens, filters, flash, tripod, cleaning equipment other) do you use?

I use a 5D mII and a 24-70 usually but I love my 85mm. I only use natural light, so no flash, and I use a really cheap tripod that I need to change urgently. That’s pretty much it.

What do you like and dislike about your equipment, specially your camera, and how would you improve it?

Well, my camera is a recent present I got for Christmas, so I really don’t see anything bad about it. But I would buy a new tripod, mostly because the camera I used before was pretty small compared to this one, so the tripod can’t handle it.

What is your favourite lens, and why?

I love my 85mm, because of its depth of field (1.2) but it’s really difficult to focus, it takes me hours to do a selfportrait with it, so I guess I have to admit how much I love my 24-70.

When you travel, what is in your essential photographic kit bag?

The camera, at least two lenses and two batteries.

What kind of software/tools do you use for post-processing, if any?

Photoshop CS6, Camera Raw… and I’ve used Gimp when I didn’t have Photoshop.

How long have you been taking photographs? How do you find inspiration? How do you take your pictures?

I started when I was 16 but I was like one or two years just being silly with my camera and learning until I really got attached to it, so I guess I was around 18 when I started doing real stuff.

I find it everywhere, actually, in music and lyrics and books mostly, but even just a view can inspire me.

I usually have like a thousand ideas in a moment, but there’s always one, just one that remains in my mind, I don’t even have to write it down, and I just wait until I can make it real!

Which style of photography do you like the most, and why?

Portraiture, because I like people related to how much we can express in a second but I use myself because I’m never comfortable around people so… I guess it sounds weird.

But I love so many more styles, like photojournalism.. I would love to try it, to travel and show the world the real world we live in.

What goal are you working towards within your photography and when will you know you have reached it?

Actually, I don’t have any goals. I know it sounds terrible but, I prefer to find job like a retoucher or something like that than actually work taking pictures. When I do what I love under pressure it’s never good, my work is not as it could be and I know I would end up hating my camera, I never want that to happen, so I prefer to work, earn a decent amount of money to live and take pictures on my free time.

Looking at your own work, which piece is your favourite? Why? Please provide a link to the picture.

Home: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emsweet/9573512728/
It means a lot to me, being in a long distance relationship… I don’t think it needs any other comment.

Does your work fit into any one or more distinct genres (nature, landscape, long-exposure, black-and-white, infra-red, urban, artistic, macro, vintage, vernacular, social, street)? If other, please specify.

I really don’t know how to categorize my work in one style. I guess I’m more artistic or conceptual, at least I think that, because I look more for the meaning it has to me than the color or anything else.

Are there any photography websites that you visit regularly?

Not really. It’s amazing how many things can inspire you outside of photography. All I visit regularly is my social sites or tumblr, sites like that, that’s all the photography I see.

What is the one most important lesson that you have learned since you started taking photographs?

That it doesn’t matter what they teach you, photography, and art in general is about interpretation, not understanding.

We’re so obsessed about knowing the why of everything we don’t want to see that some things are just what it is to us. Each one of us see differently, each one of us see a different meaning. It doesn’t need to be perfect or beautiful, it just need to be something that means for somebody and it’ll be worth it. Art is about feelings, not techniques, money or galleries.

And obviously, you don’t need to go to class to see this, in fact is better if you do not go, or they’ll steal your motivation. Some people don’t get it back. Teach yourself.